Clarendon Road home destroyed by fire

Friday

Apr 5, 2013 at 9:18 AMApr 5, 2013 at 9:18 AM

By Jamie Barrand

jbarrand@thedailyreporter.comQUINCY – A Quincy family lost their home Thursday to what Quincy Fire Department Chief Kurt Barve described as "the hardest fire I’ve ever fought in my 17 years as a firefighter."

Owner Cathy Tucker, who lived in the two-story house at 921 Clarendon Road with her daughter and that daughter’s three children, was the only person home when the fire broke out just after 3 a.m. Tucker ran next door to her son’s home and her son called the fire department.

"(Tucker’s) son told us when he came over he couldn’t make it 10 feet in the door of the house because the smoke was so bad," Barve said.

The fire was determined to have been caused by a faulty chimney.

"It was cracked. We’re not sure if it was plugged or what; due to the severity of the damage we couldn’t see for sure," Barve said. "But the owner’s son told us that they’d had problems with the chimney before. He said he’d told his mother she needed to have it checked.

"Because of how the fire acted and where it started, though, we know for sure the chimney caused it," he continued.

The fire originated in the roof and attic of the home, Barve said. When firefighters arrived on the scene the fire had spread and they found "heavy fire on the north side" of the house. Firefighters were on the roof at the outset, but had to come down when the roof began to sag. Eventually the upstairs floors and the roof collapsed.

"We couldn’t get into the house to stop it," Barve said. "It very quickly got beyond where we could have done that."

Barve said Tucker was roused by smoke detectors.

"It was another classic case of how smoke detectors save lives," he said.

Quincy firefighters were assisted by units from the Coldwater, Allen, Home and Litchfield fire departments. Firefighters were on the scene until about 9 a.m., Barve said.

No dollar estimate has been released, but Barve said the house and all its contents are a total loss.

Tucker’s grandchildren lost all their clothing in the blaze. Boy’s pants and shirts sizes 12-14, girl’s size 16 pants and size 14 shirts and women’s size 12-13 pants and size 18 shirts are needed. To donate these items, call Roxanne Morgret at The Daily Reporter at 278-2318.